


One Rainy Night, 6 Dogs, 1 Torch

by RoguishRobin



Series: Pridemas [23]
Category: Pride (2014)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Puppies, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:17:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9422201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoguishRobin/pseuds/RoguishRobin
Summary: Jeff decides to follow a stray dog that he has seen around Dulais. Bromley obviously offers his assistance.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ooops, so I never finished Pridemas and I'm so annoyed at myself. But oh well. I'll post one last Christmas fic next year and this is just a little ficlet I wrote although weather wise I guess you could pretend that it was around Christmas time. But not in anyway festive.

“Look, look, it’s that dog again,” Jeff exclaimed loudly, bouncing on his seat by the window. Jonathan didn’t even flinch behind the wheel, one week of driving around with this bunch had taught him to expect sudden screeching.

“Jeff, will you shut up about that dog.” Mark pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

“But look at it, it’s starving,” Jeff replied indignantly, “let me out Jonathan.”

“No entering or exiting the moving vehicle,” Jonathan called back sternly before Jeff got any ideas. It had been known to happen.

Jeff pouted and stared at the dog who was sitting on the side of the road as if it were waiting for someone.

“But…” he tried again but dropped it. A large, warm and very familiar hand clasped his own and earnest eyes were trained on him.

“I’ll help you look for it later if you want. It must live around here somewhere.”

Jeff’s heart skipped a beat when his eyes met Joe’s.

“Thanks, I’d like that,” he said almost shyly and Joe squeezed his hand before dropping it. Jeff immediately wished he could have it back.

He didn’t know what it was about Bromley that made him feel like a bumbling teenager again with his first crush. 

That evening on the way home from the town hall Jeff spotted the dog again. He didn’t care that it was lashing rain or that it was dark or that he was certainly not dressed for this adventure. He was determined to follow the dog.

In his haste to catch up he slipped and fell, landing straight in a giant puddle, drenching him to the skin, but he jumped right back up as he had more important things to worry about in that moment. The dog was getting away.

“Jesus Jeff, are you alright?” Joe came running towards him and patted him down gently looking for any injuries. Jeff felt a pleasant shiver run through his body but then pushed it aside.

“I’m fine but we need to hurry.” Jeff flapped his arms wildly trying to communicate the urgency of their undertaking.

It was a credit to Joe’s personality that he didn’t burst into laughter at the sight of him but silently turned and started to walk in the direction of the dog.

“Come here doggie, come to Jeff,” he cooed trying to get the dog to come closer to them but every time they got closer to the scraggly creature it moved away again, slipping back into the darkness and out of the light of Bromley’s torch.

Jeff was pleased that he could hold Bromley’s hand under the pretence of safety since he didn’t have a torch of his own and needed to see where he was going.

Holding hands, both secretly revelling in the warm connection, they followed the dog and reached a dilapidated farm yard. The building around it were crumbling and it was definitely deserted. 

The dog yipped once before disappearing into one of the outhouses. Jeff wanted to follow it at once but Joe held him back.

“Be careful, you don’t know how safe the structure is.” His thumb rubbing over Jeff’s knuckles.

“Shine your light then, I haven’t come all this way to turn back now,” Jeff said, impatience colouring his tone and Joe sighed in exasperation although it was tainted with fondness. Jeff’s determination, or stubbornness, was one of the many things that Joe liked about him. He liked all of him really, especially right at that moment, standing there drenched to the bone, his hair standing in every direction and a concentrated frown on his face.

So he shone the light around the opening in the wall while Jeff prodded at the stones.

“We should be fine! Come on.”

Famous last words thought Joe wryly but followed Jeff anyways because that was what he did. They could only walk hunched over through the narrow passageway, it seemed to have been a stable at some point.

Joe stopped when he heard Jeff gasp.

“Joe, look she has puppies.”

He spun around to find Jeff kneeling on the dirty ground beside the dog who was curled around five puppies.

“They can’t stay here,” Jeff said and Joe had to agree.

Neither of them were able to later explain how they managed to carry five squirming puppies through the dark, in the rain all the way back to the village, the mother circling around them carefully watching her pups.

Sian let them in and immediately ordered them to strip before wrapping them in big towels and warm blankets. The dogs were put in a box by the range and she fed them some porridge. Martin estimated that the pups were around seven or eight weeks old and that they needed to be weaned off the mother.

“We can’t keep them all here,” Sian said sadly, watching the energised pups bouncing around the kitchen.

“It’ll be fine. I’ll take one and I know that Jonathan has wanted a dog for ages so that’s another one gone. Mike and Steph will probably take one each as well,” Jeff counted up striking each person off his fingers.

Joe looked at the puppies and felt like crying, his parents had never allowed him to have a pet. Jeff noticed his downcast face and wanted to do anything to get him to smile again.

“You can help me take care of mine, we can share….I mean it can be ours if you want,” he stuttered and he could feel his cheeks burning bright red.

“I’d like that,” Joe mumbled in response, ducking his head, the tips of his ears as red as Jeff’s face.

“Well, I’m glad that’s settled,” Sian said, clearing her throat and watching them both in amusement.

“We’ll keep the mother and one of the pups.”

 

“What’s that noise?” Jonathan asked as they were loading their luggage into the back of the van, “that whimpering noise.”

He looked around anxiously, trying to pinpoint the pitiful sounds.

“Surprise,” said Jeff brightly as he pulls a basket out from under his seat. LGSM were silent for a second before screeching and cooing ensued.

Gethin only put up token resistance though he did grumble under his breath that he would probably be stuck minding the four puppies in his shop while everyone went about their business.

“Think about it, love. You could have them as an attraction like “Reading and Cuddling hour” or something,” Jonathan suggested.

“I don’t know why I put up with you sometimes,” groaned Gethin but he leaned in and wrapped his arm around Jonathan’s waist.

“Because I’m unique,” Jonathan replied with a jaunty smile and Gethin snorted but didn’t disagree.

Jeff watched their little exchange and thought longingly of finding such a stable and loving relationship. His eyes wandered over to Joe who smiled back at him and Jeff realised with a rush that perhaps he had found it after all. Jeff smiled back and walked over to Joe, the puppy and perhaps his future.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading.


End file.
